


The Death of a Warden

by TessaTheirin



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-06
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2018-03-10 19:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3300491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TessaTheirin/pseuds/TessaTheirin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hazel Cousland travels to Skyhold, only to discover her love died in the fade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Death of a Warden

Hazel Cousland pulled her fur coat tighter around her as she neared the towering hold's gates. Skyhold was much larger in person. More impressive, too. She often heard stories of its magnificence throughout her travels. In the letters he sent her, Alistair loved to drabble on about it's towering, protective walls and elegant, yet threatening throne room where the Inquisitor sat to judge her enemies. However, none of the tales truly did Skyhold justice. It was breathtaking. Never in her journeys as Warden-Commander has she encountered something so beautiful.

She withdrew her hood as the guards pulled the lever to open the metal gate. The smile fell from Hazel's face as she realized no one she recognized was there to greet her. Where was Alistair? Or the inquisitor? Had they not received her letter? Communication was difficult in these times, but surely Leliana would ensure the delivery of their letters. As Hazel stepped toward the stairs, a tall hooded women threw open the heavy wooden doors to the great hall. Fiery red hair poked out from behind the cloak.

"Leliana?" Hazel called, her pace quickening. 

"My old friend." A small smile tugged at Leliana's lips. "The Inquisitor requires your presence in the throne room."

"What for?" Hazel stepped into the dimly lit room. The crackling of the fire helped to calm her nerves, but she couldn't help herself from wondering where Alistair was.

"I should not discuss it," Leliana said, taking the cloak from the Warden's shoulders. Her Grey Warden armour glistened against the light from the chandeliers high above them. "How was your journey?" 

"It was fine, thank you." 

The conversation ceased to continue. Hazel was focused on the Inquisitor sitting upon her throne. Each stepped seemed to take her further away from the elf. Her eyes darted across the room, studying each and every corner. Where was Alistair? Was he hurt? Had something happened? Panic washed over her as each thought flooded through her mind. 

"Warden Commander Cousland," The Inquisitor greeted, standing from her chair and bowing before Hazel. 

Hazel returned the gesture. "Inquisitor." She paused, taking one final glance around the long, rather empty room. "If I may ask, where is my husband?" 

Once Lavellan returned to her spiked throne, she crossed one leg over the other. "Then it is true. You did not receive my letters." 

Hazel interrupted Leliana's objection. "Enough! You will tell me where Alistair Theirin is at once." 

Silence blanketed the room. No one dared look at the warden. She began to tug at her braid--a nervous gesture that was often the subject of teasing from Alistair. Hazel wished desperately he was by her side, the familiar weight and warmth of his palm pressed against her back. The sound of his muffled laughter or groan of boredom when situations weren't entertaining enough for him. Often her elbow would nudge against his rib cage (of course, she'd desperately try to hide a smile) to remind him of his manners. 

"What happened?" The words that left Hazel's mouth were barely a whisper. Each breathe she drew was a struggle, her heart pounding too fast inside her chest. Neither Leliana nor the Inquisitor needed to speak a word--she knew. Alistair was gone. Gone. 

Hazel gripped tightly onto the fabric of Leliana's amour as the Inquisitor began to speak. "We discovered the Warden's were being tricked by Corypheus into summoning and binding an army of demons at Adamant Fortress. We had no choice but to fight. Something went wrong and we...we ended up in the fade. The only way we could escape is if someone sacrificed their life."

A sob tore through her whole body, her hands shaking as they held onto Leliana for support. "Of course he sacrificed himself. He would never hesitate to do so. I shouldn't have...I never should have left. This is my fault. He's dead. Oh Maker. He's dead."

"He died bravely, Warden-Commander." 

Hazel closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths of oxygen before composing herself. She smoothed down her braid and wiped the lingering tears from her face. "Excuse me, Inquisitor, but I do not give a fuck whether he died bravely or not." 

Raven Lavellan recoiled in shock. Hazel continued before she would protest. "I entrusted his life with you. I understand you do not realize his importance to me, but when you let him sacrifice himself foolishly without thought you..." Her bottom lip began to quiver. "his blood is on your hands, Lavellan." 

Hazel turned and stormed out of the throne room, not stopping until she felt the crunch of snow beneath her boots. It was only then that she collapsed, letting the grief overcome her as she cried into her gloved palms. Hazel had blamed the inquisitor out of anger, but in truth it was herself she blamed. She alone encouraged his brash and foolish need to sacrifice himself to save others. He was a warden--it was in his blood to do so. But still, did Alistair not take into her into consideration when he made his decision? Did he not, for one second, think about what his death would do to her? 

Ten years prior a circle mage warned her of this. The love between two wardens, whose duty must come before all else, was doomed from the start. Hazel refused to believe it. She was a selfish girl who only wished for someone to make her feel whole again. Even her quest to cure the calling was inherently selfish. Hazel wanted to be able to spend the rest of her life with Alistair--peacefully, without the threat of the blight sickness weighing on their minds. Perhaps if she had stayed...

"There is no sense trying to make sense of this." Lavellan crept up beside her. The elf's arms were crossed over her chest. Hazel hadn't realized it before, but the Inquisitor did not look much better than herself. Red, bloodshot eyes that spoke of sleepless nights. Pale skin and a permanent frown upon her pretty face. 

"You know from experience, I gather." Hazel stood to her feet, staring out towards the snow-capped mountains. 

Raven sighed, "I'm so sorry, Hazel. I never wished to bring you pain. It was an impossible decision that needed to be made."

"I understand," she said, wiping another tear from her cheek. "I am Warden-Commander, of course I understand." 

"Not to long ago I was left by a man I loved. He provided no reason. One day he was there and the next he was...gone."

"Are you comparing the death of my husband to a betrayal by your lover?" Hazel asked, an accidental bitterness in her tone.

"Not at all. I only wish you to understand that I know what it is like to have someone suddenly ripped away from you. Death or not." With that, Raven turned and began to walk back toward Skyhold. 

"Inquisitor?" Hazel called out. The small woman paused a moment, her body shivering from the ice cold wind. "Thank you. I will be on my way and it is...It is likely I wont return."

"I wish you well, Warden Commander," Raven smiled.


End file.
